Josh's Blog

Josh's Blog http://controlledchaos1.org/blog/Blog.php en-us Nucleus CMS v3.31 ï¿½ Weblog http://backend.userland.com/rss http://controlledchaos1.org/blog/Blog.php/nucleus/nucleus2.gif Josh's Blog http://controlledchaos1.org/blog/Blog.php Jehovah-jireh http://controlledchaos1.org/blog/Blog.phpindex.php?itemid=30
“And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh; as it is said, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.” Genesis 22:14

The scene here is heart-gripping. God has commanded Abraham to offer up his son, Isaac, as a sacrifice. What a test of faith! Abraham, ready to obey God, had selected the place, built the altar and Isaac was bound, ready for the altar, when “the Angel of the Lord” spoke from heaven and stayed Abraham’s hand. Abraham then lifted up his eyes and saw a ram caught in the thicket, providing a sacrifice in the place of Isaac,- perfect picture of John 1:29: “Behold, the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.” Jehovah-jireh (“the Lord will provide”) was the name which Abraham gave to that place. The Lord has provided a Sin-offering for us, and he bore our sins in His own body on the Tree. Let us bow our heads, lift our hearts to God and thank Him for the gift of His Son our, our Sin-Purger. Amen.
]]> General http://controlledchaos1.org/blog/Blog.phpindex.php?itemid=30 Tue, 19 Aug 2008 11:59:23 -0500 Can God still use me? http://controlledchaos1.org/blog/Blog.phpindex.php?itemid=27 The question now becomes, "If Judas would have repented and turned to Christ for forgiveness, would he have been forgiven?" It is important to realise that in order for prophecy to be fulfilled Jesus had to be betrayed by one of his disciples. However, on the night that Jesus was arrested Judas was not the only disciple that betrayed him. Let us not forget about Peter. Didn't Peter deny Christ openly? It may not have been premeditated or for finacial gain but that does not negate the fact that Peter denied his messiah and friend.
The difference between Peter and Judas on that night (herein lies the lesson for us) was that when Judas realized what he had done he hung himself, whereas Peter went and wept bitterly. Judas removed the possibility for God to forgive him, he chose to close that door. Whereas Peter left the door open for God to work. Whatever it is that you have done or will do (however sinful it might be) NEVER CLOSE THE DOOR ON GOD. If Judas had only waited for three days he would have seen the power of God. Anticipate a resurrection!

]]> General http://controlledchaos1.org/blog/Blog.phpindex.php?itemid=27 Wed, 21 May 2008 16:28:32 -0500 What is Church? http://controlledchaos1.org/blog/Blog.phpindex.php?itemid=23 I was thinking this week about how Jesus is the answer to our most solemn prayer even if we did not at first realize that our heart was longing for Him. God anticipated our need of a savior while we were still sinning against him. Jesus was, and is, and will become our answer to prayer. We now have the opportunity to be His answer to prayer! This is huge, don’t miss this. Jesus prayed that we would be unified. How elated will God be on that day, when He presents to His Son the perfect bride (the church), without blemish or any such thing. We are indeed called into a wondrous and mysterious relationship with God and Christ. Praise be unto God!
]]> General http://controlledchaos1.org/blog/Blog.phpindex.php?itemid=23 Tue, 15 Apr 2008 16:11:14 -0500 Being satisfied http://controlledchaos1.org/blog/Blog.phpindex.php?itemid=21 In verse two of Isaiah 55, the author says Wherefore do you spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? We spend our time pursuing stuff. Things that will never satisfy us. People give their entire lives to the pursuit of money, when real joy is offered to them without cost. Or perhaps I should say without cost to them. We, as Christians, are aware (but frequently forget) of the great cost that was paid on our behalf.
Often times when it comes to witnessing, we make things way to complicated. Remember, witnessing is just one beggar telling another beggar where to find food. ]]> General http://controlledchaos1.org/blog/Blog.phpindex.php?itemid=21 Thu, 3 Apr 2008 14:30:53 -0500 Following the crowd http://controlledchaos1.org/blog/Blog.phpindex.php?itemid=13 God shows us, through the mouth of His prophet, what the proper response should be, by the Nation of Israel, to the coming Messiah. “Rejoice greatly…shout O daughter of Zion…” Now if we look at the account in Matthew of what the actual response of the people is; verses eight and nine state, that they laid down their garments and branches; and cried “Hosanna to the son of David”, “Hosanna in the highest”. Their response seems right on the mark. Yes, Israel has found her King!!
We know, however, that the story does not end here, does it? (and quite frankly I am glad that it doesn’t end there) We as people are so easily swayed, and the Israelites were no exception. It took only five days for the masses to change their cries. In less then one week the people went from shouting “Hail Him” to “Nail Him”. Oh, we are indeed a fallen world, a perverse and wicked people! This is a painful but valuable lesson for humanity. That we will conform to the masses, even when all they are doing is securing their own damnation at an alarming rate.
I fear a similar philosophy is in our popular culture today. A view that “me and Jesus are tight”. Let us not forget that this JESUS IS GOD! He is our savior, our righteousness, our hope, our joy, our peace, and our life; he is not our “homeboy”. What happens when t-shirts come out that say “Buddha is my homeboy” or “me and Muhammed hangout”? Real Christianity will never be mainstream. If you are doing what everybody else is doing, then you are doing something wrong. When the masses shouted “He is our King” John the Baptist said “Behold the Lamb of God…”(John 1:29). When the world was looking for a king on a horse, Jesus came as a servant on a donkey. When they wanted a high priest, he presented his body as the sacrifice. They asked for the son of David, and they got the Son of God. When they asked for a leader, they led him to Calvary. The world was pleased when they murdered him, but God was pleased when He raised him. I’m not saying that Jesus isn’t the son of David, the high priest, or the King. What I am saying is that God’s timing is not the world’s timing. When the world was looking left it should have been looking right. If the world had its way Jesus would be on an earthly throne and we would still be dead in our sin. But, God’s will forgave us of our sin and placed Jesus on an everlasting throne. This is the gospel. This is our beginning and our end, indeed our very existence lies here. If you are living with the mind of Jesus (Phil. 2:5) it is likely that when the world is laughing, you will be crying and when the world is crying you will be content.
]]> General http://controlledchaos1.org/blog/Blog.phpindex.php?itemid=13 Tue, 25 Mar 2008 13:44:26 -0500 We all desire happiness http://controlledchaos1.org/blog/Blog.phpindex.php?itemid=11 So, I asked myself what do I desire? Happiness, contentment, peace, joy, love... Often times we get the idea that we, as Christians, are not really suppose to desire, or want anything. But perhaps the problem is; we do not desire enough. Perhaps, we are satisfied with whatever comes our way because "it is God's will" we tell ourselves. But consider this, "For the joy set before him, endured the cross" (Heb. 12:2). Jesus chose to go to the cross. Why? "for the JOY set before him" Jesus deired joy just as you and me do. Not only did he desire it but pursued it. And found it!
If you want joy in your life, then set everything else aside (sin included). Why in the world would anyone settle for a fleeting thrill when they are offered eternal joy. Desire God because He first Desired YOU!!
In His Grip,
Pizor]]> General http://controlledchaos1.org/blog/Blog.phpindex.php?itemid=11 Fri, 14 Mar 2008 10:23:47 -0500